In 2026, the Centraal Museum will present the first major retrospective exhibition on Gerard van Honthorst (1592–1656). The Utrecht painter, a contemporary of Rembrandt, left for Italy at a young age and made a name for himself in Rome with his night scenes, which earned him the nickname ‘Gherardo delle Notti’.
Honthorst was one of the few non-Italians to receive prestigious commissions for altarpieces and managed to attract influential art collectors. After his return in 1620, he focused on lively genre pieces and musical gatherings. He perfected the pastoral genre and the portrait historié, and in the years that followed, he increasingly devoted himself to portrait painting. He understood better than anyone what his clients expected of him and adapted his style almost intuitively. This earned him important commissions from royal and noble families throughout Europe. Honthorst is considered one of the most successful artists in the vibrant art climate of the seventeenth century, a period marked by the heyday of the Dutch school of painting represented by Rembrandt, Frans Hals and Johannes Vermeer. Although he was more successful than his contemporaries in his own time, he is overshadowed today by his famous peers.
In Utrecht, the city where he was born, married and died, Honthorst is finally being given a platform. The Centraal Museum is doing so by exhibiting some 60 paintings and approximately 30 drawings by Honthorst from museum and private collections in Europe and the US, such as the Musée du Louvre, the British Royal Collection and the Galleria Borghese.
On display in De Stallen
Gerard van Honthorst – Different to Rembrandt will be on display in De Stallen. This exhibition space is located in the old stables of the former Agnietenklooster convent. Twice a year, a large-scale, theme-based exhibition is held here, focusing on one of our sub-collections: old, modern and contemporary art, design, fashion or city history. De Stallen is the museum's largest exhibition space.
Visit as a member
Visit Gerard van Honthorst - Different to Rembrandt, other exhibitions and activities such as friend of the museum, member of Central Club or Central Circle.
This exhibition is made possible in part by:
K.F. Hein fund, Turing Foundation, Van Baaren Foundation, Boellaard Fund, Zabawas Foundation and the Elise Mathilde Fund.
The exhibition was made possible in part by the national government: the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands has granted an indemnity guarantee on behalf of the Minister of Education, Culture and Science.
Image credit: Violin player, 1626. Gerard van Honthorst (detail) © Mauritshuis Collection, The Hague